I have never trained a pointer to be steady to wing and shot. I presently am working with 4 wires and am to that stage in their training. I am seeking methods that can be used that have been successfully used by others. Any information or references to books would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

You may also try NAVHDA's training book and video. I've successfully trained many dogs using their methods. One thing to remember is that steadiness to wing and shot is usually the first thing to go when hunting. If you're training for tests you'll need to polish your dogs again after the hunting season if you don't enforce steadiness while hunting (fairly hard to do!).

What parshal says is true somewhat. If you hunt with others and there dog is not steady yours will not be steady as well. Also if you send your dog emmedialtely after shot the dog will start breaking on the shot. So if you make sure who you hunt with and also count 1000, 2000, 3000 and sometimes up to 5000 before sending your dog it should remain steady during hunting season.

Now a good way to steady a dog is to train the dog stop to flush. Once this is trained it is much easier to advance further.

Once you have gotten the dog or dogs trained to stop to flush just proceed further. I personally like the dog to make up its mind. So I usually have a helper or someone to hold checkcord. I also recommend using pigeons if at all possible (they fly away and are less tempting for a dog to break). Now your going to bring the dog in and he is going to point the bird the helper is going to get hold of the check cord and you are going to flush the bird. If the dog has been trained stop to flush he will not break until you fire the blank. So after awhile let the bird get a ways away fire the blank but do not allow the dog to break make sure helper stops dog if he breaks. If he breaks make sure you say whoa at the exact time he reaches the end of the check cord (this not only instills your command because you are inforcing the command but will help when you use the command elsewhere). Grab the dog by the nape of the neck and the other hand just in front of the back legs basically holdding the weight of the dog and place him where he was standing when he was originally pointing and say whoa. Walk back to where you flushed the bird take out a frozen pigeon throw it and shoot the blank gun. If the dog breaks again say whoa exactly before he reached the end of the check cord now when you move him back which is called re stacking place him three feet or so further back than where he was. Walk out and get the pigeon yourself go to where the original spot was where you flushed the bird and repeat process. If the dog keeps breaking on shot keep moving him back so 3 ft then 6 then 9 everytime he disobeys he gets stopped by a command and he is not able to get the retrieve and he gets further and further from the action. Eventually he will stay at this point make sure the helper knows not to stop the dog and send him for his reward the retrieve. A few times of this and they are steady they want to be able to get the bird and what is more important they are allways waiting for the second bird????? So eventually in your training you will have to shoot the first bird and then miss one and throw the second mix it up sort of and anyway this is the easiest way I have witnessed teaching a dog to be steady to wing and shot. It comes down to they figure out how to get the bird (by being steady throughout) Hope this helps.